END THE PAIN PROJECT MIRROR THERAPY WORKSHOPS EXPAND TO SIERRA LEONE

Jean Luc Ngambre training Mondeh Abdulaziz

Cutting off peoples’ limbs, in most cases their hands, was one of the brutal strategies used by members of the Revolutionary United Front to terrify people to support them during the 1991-2002 civil war in Sierra Leone. 

Some 27,000 Sierra Leoneans are estimated to have been disabled or have had one or more limbs amputated during that time. Many of these amputees still suffer phantom limb pain years after the war.

End The Pain Project addresses this lingering problem with the training of Mondeh Abdulaziz on November 19-20, 2016 by ETPP Senior Trainer Jean Luc Ngambre in Burera District, Rwanda. 

 Mondeh Abdulaziz, Mirror Therapy Practitioner

Mr. Abdulaziz received certification as an ETPP Mirror Therapy Practitioner on December 5, 2016 and will offer the effective pain-eliminating therapy at peer-to-peer workshops for amputees  in Sierra Leone upon his return.

Sierra Leone now joins Rwanda as part of ETPP Pan-Africa headed by Jean Luc Ngambre.

First Mirror Therapy Education Workshop Held in The Republic of Serbia

Participants in the Belgrade Serbia Mirror Therapy Workshop

A joint effort of the Belgrade-Serbia Association for Medical Training and Education, Deus, and Mirror Therapy Adria from Sarajevo-Bosnia (as the ETPP Mirror Therapy education provider for the Adria region) , organized the first mirror therapy education ever to be held in Republic of Serbia on March 20, 2016, in the FizioBalans Center based in Belgrade.

The health care system of Republic of Serbia can now offer an effective technique for treating phantom limb pain and phantom limb sensation as well as treatment of complex regional pain syndrome, spasticity and facial nerve paralysis.

The educational workshop led by Mirror Therapy Adria trainer Jasmin Avdović, was well adopted and understood, as the participants raised many questions transforming it in to a true interactive professional event .

Certified Serbian Mirror Therapists with Adria Trainer, Jasmin Avdović

Internationally recognized certificates were issued to the first Mirror Therapists of the Republic of Serbia:

1. Ljiljana Katunac-FizioBalans-Belgrade
2. Mirjana Vujasinović-FizioBalans-Belgrade
3. Branka Čirić-Institute for Mental Health
4. Snežana Bičanin-Clinic for Child Habitation and Rehabilitation
5. Jelena Kuč-Military Medical Academy - Belgrade
6. Nataša Živaljević-Military Medical Academy-Belgrade
7. Danijela Vasič Đukanović-Gerontology Center Beograd
8. Vesna Paušić
9. Danijela Trandafilović

Volunteer Mirror Therapy Workshop in Kageyo, Rwanda

Participants in Kagayo ETPP Volunteer Peer-To-Peer Mirror Therapy Workshop

Jean Luc Ngarambe, Coordinator for ETPP-Africa, presented a Peer-to-Peer Mirror Therapy Workshop to 42 volunteers in Kagayo, Rwanda on March 15, 2016.

The object of the Workshop was to train these volunteers so that they could effectively administer Mirror Therapy to amputees suffering Phantom Limb Pain in their respective communities.

These volunteers included 25 lower limb amputees, 15 upper limb amputees and 2 lower trans amputees.

After Jean Luc Ngarambe made his presentation, the volunteers met in smaller groups to exchange ideas about bringing Mirror Therapy to their communities and developing suggestions that would be of value, including development of volunteer kits containing a mirror, a volunteer badge , a record booklet and a small bag to carry materials; keeping regular communication and holding an evaluation meeting in a few months.

New Use of Mirror Therapy Technique Showcased at Zabreb Croatia MT Workshop

At a 2-day Mirror Therapy Workshop organized by Mirror Therapy Adria  and Clinical Hospital Dubrava-Zagreb for 49 healthcare professionals at the Zagreb hospital, workshop leader Jasmin Avdovic presented the product of his latest research, a technique to treat facial nerve paralysis.

Using mirrors as shown in the photo creates a virtual reality. Simply put, incorporating the newly presented mirror information allows the client to re-structure the very section of the map inside the brain responsible for facial action. Just the commonly used frontal exposure to a mirror, only allows for working towards lifting one side of the mouth or one eyebrow to resemble the other side.

A facial nerve paralysis treatment based upon the same MT principals as behind brain remapping to bypass damaged neurons

Besides health professionals from Clinical hospital ‘’Dubrava-Zagreb’’ where the training took place, health professionals came from other institutions:

• University of Applied Heath Science (Zagreb-Croatia)
• Clinical Hospital Center ‘’Sestre milosrdnice’’, (Zagreb-Croatia)
• The Institute for Rehabilitation and Orthotic (Zagreb-Crotia)
• Clinical Hospital Center ‘’Rebro’’(Zagreb-Croatia)
• Institute for Treatment of Pain (Osijek-Croatia)
• Institute for Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation (Osijek-Croatia)
• Clinical Hospital Center ‘’Osijek’’ (Osijek-Croatia)
• General Hospital ‘’Pula’’ (Pula-Croatia)
• Public Primary Health Care Institution of Canton Sarajevo(Sarajevo-Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Tobia-Patronage (Zagreb-Croatia)
• Private Policlinic and Physical Therapy at Home (Virovitica-Croatia)
• Private Physical Therapy’’Jadranka Brozd’’ (Zagreb-Croatia)
• Policlinic for Rheumatic Diseases ‘’Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Dr.Drago Čop’’(Zagreb-Croatia

Participants of Mirror Therapy Workshop at Dubrava-Zagreb Clinical Hospital

Now certified as Mirror Therapy Therapists:

Matea Perković, Jadranka Brozd, Maria Platz-Zagreb, Kruno Topolski, Jasenka Ivić, Marija Huljev Kolega, Danijel Bilandžija, Katarina Čajko, Andrej Matejčić, Ivana Žulj, Josipa Vidaković, Ivona Turalija, Ivana Nikolić, Bruno Ežbegović, Lea Gubijan, Slađana Serezlija, Nino Kecman, Dinko Remić, Lorena Skoko, Marković Martina, Jasminka Baturina, Miro Dragović, Krešimir Horvat, Majana Delić, Miloš Brodalić, Nikolina Delaš, Maja Kranjec Sušac, Mirjana Telebuh, Igor Maratović, Gordana Grozdek Čović, Hrvoje Matić, Silvija Grabar, Jelena Sedlovski, Ozana Katarina Tot, Vanja Matković, Andrea Stojić, Renata Magdalenić, Marica Salihović, Marijan Mašić, Tomislava Marijanović Vicić, Jelica Romić-Zagreb, Dubravka Bobek-Zagreb, Gordan Preskar, Maja Fotez, Matea Jurilj, Jago Lucić, ZlatkoSertić, Malkoč Azra

Mirror Therapy Adria Holds Successful Mirror Therapy Workshop in Fojnica

From left to right (standing) as Emira Klisura-Bosnia, Samra Karač-Bosnia, Antonela Pavić-Croatia, Tarik Žetica-Bosnia, Matej Bedenik-Slovenia, Edis Kozić-Bosnia; (seated) Jasmin Avdović-Mirror therapy Adria MT trainer, Nikola Dobrijević-Croatia

On October 17, 2015, Mirror Therapy Adria organized a Mirror Therapy Workshop for Physical Therapy Practitioners in the central Bosnian town of Fojnica. The town is well known for the biggest thermal and rehabilitation spa center in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Most amputees in Bosnia and Herzegovina have used the services of this thermal spa center at least once. Most return on a regular annual basis for continuing treatment.

Recently this thermal spa become the site where all persons with war related injuries including traumatic amputations are transferred from Libya to receive proper rehabilitation treatments. So it is not strange that there is a high interest in Mirror Therapy education and implementing it as regular daily based treatment at the spa.

Participants of the full day MT education according to End The Pain Project guidelines, received MT certificates entitling them to practice as mirror therapists. The Workshop was successfully led by Adria Mirror Therapy trainer, Jasmin Avdović.

The participants came from Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring Republic of Croatia and Republic of Slovenia. The participants from Croatia and Slovenia are the first mirror therapists in their countries.

Mirror Therapy Workshop for Amputees at Bisesero Village Rwanda

Bisesero Village Amputees  Participating in Mirror Therapy Workshop

June 20, 2015 found 40 Rwandan refugees who returned to Rwanda from the Congo attending an outdoor Mirror Therapy workshop led by ETPP Rwanda representative, Jean Luc Ngarambe at  Bisesero Village, a refugee camp. 

 Enthusiasm to learn the effective Mirror Therapy procedures was very high among the 20 amputees and their 20 family members. Many questions were posed and were able to be answered by the ETPP representative, who is a certified physiotherapist.

A Teaching Moment with the Amputees of Bisesero

Amputees said that they appreciated this practice to reduce pain because though they feel phantom  limb pain, when they explain their pain to clinical health providers, none understand phantom limb pain. Often they return home without any treatment. 

They also realized the importance of teamwork in helping the amputee practice Mirror Therapy to reduce the phantom limb pain.  

This Mirror Therapy workshop for amputees is the second successfully conducted by Ngarambe at Rawandan refugee camps. 

 

Certified Mirror Therapy Practitioners Now In Montenegro

Montenegro Physiotherapists Learning Mirror Therapy

MT Trainer, Jasmin Avdovic & Workshop Attendee

in cooperation with The National Physiotherapy Association of Montenegro and The Faculty of Applied Physiotherapy, U of Montenegro, Mirror Therapy Adria and  ETPP organized a full day Mirror Therapy Workshop for nine Montenegro Physiotherapists at The Faculty of Applied Physiotherapy's multimedia education amphitheater on Sunday April 25, 2015. These Physiotherapists became the first certified mirror therapists in Montenegro, four from Herceg Novi, and one from each of the following cities: Kotor, Niksic, Petnjice, Danilovgrad and Cetinje.

There is a growing recognition of mirror therapy by medical professionals in the Balkans as the treatment of first choice for relief of post-traumatic neuropathic pain and stroke. Mirror Therapy Adria is even more convinced that these workshops should be organized in each local area of the Balkans, where its been seen and recently reported that an increasing number of people who suffer the fore mentioned problems.

Certified  MT Therapists & Jasmin Avdovic  Montenegro April 2015